In 2019 one in four people waited more than a year to be diagnosed. Nearly half end up in A&E at least once before their diagnosis. Delays to treatment affects people’s ability to continue education and work and narrows their treatment options while increasing their risk of being hospitalised or needing emergency surgery. Treating each patient with Crohn’s and Colitis now costs the NHS as much as treating those with cancer or heart conditions.
Yet despite clear patient need, increased clinical risk and rising costs to the NHS, improving the diagnosis of Crohn’s and Colitis remains at the bottom of the health agenda.
We need your help to change this. Back our call for early diagnosis.
We are asking policymakers to take three steps to make early diagnosis a reality:
- Support our public campaign and help people take control of their health.
- Support our call for a national diagnostic pathway for people with lower gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Prioritise endoscopies by patient need, to get people diagnosed and on a treatment plan, rather than on an operating table.
Back our call for early diagnosis. Reduce the burden of Crohn’s and Colitis on patients and the NHS.